Unibet Greatwood Hurdle |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Cheltenham 15:00 £100,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 150yds, Class 1  |
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| Sunday 18th November 2018 | |
1 Nietzsche 20/1
2
Silver Streak 12/1
3
Old Guard 16/1
4
Verdana Blue 9/2F
18 ran NR: Brianstorm, Le Patriote
Distances: nk, 2¾l, ½l Time: 3m 48.60s (fast by 2.40s)
Nietzsche holds off Silver Streak to win for Brian Ellison and Danny McMenamin
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Nietzsche, a Poet's Voice five-year-old carrying 9st 7lb, was third in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at The Festival presented by Magners in 2017. Today he beat Silver Streak by a neck at odds of 20/1.
Only five hurdles were jumped as the final two flights were removed because of concerns about low sun.
Yorkshire-based Ellison said: "It's fantastic having a winner here. This horse has proved he likes the track. He just lost his way last year, like a lot of juveniles do in their second season. We couldn't understand why, because he used to work well at home.
"We scoped him and couldn't find anything wrong with him, so we decided to try a tongue-tie to see if it would help. We ran him at Newmarket and he went well [second in a one-mile, four-furlong handicap on November 2], so he came here in good form. We were very optimistic today because he's run some good races here. I was just worried he'd hit the front too soon, but he held on.
"I thought he was over-priced today. This was the plan - the owner lives down here and I think it is his first winner here at Cheltenham. We'll talk about what to do next.
"Danny [McMenamin] works for Nicky Richards and I don't think he'll let him to go me! He's a very good rider and will get well used. He's a good lad."
Trainer Evan Williams added of the five-year-old grey: "I thought we had it. The horse has run a great race, he's run well, but to be fair to the winner he has a bit of form from the Fred Winter Hurdle, and is from a great trainer in Brian Ellison.
"The handicapper will put us up and that stop us winning handicaps - even though it was essentially a Flat race, the handicapper will say it's a hurdle race!
"I imagine we'll have to dip our toe into a conditions race somewhere - we might keep coming back here. The G2 International Hurdle at the December meeting here, we could look at a race like that.
"As regards the hurdles coming out - I don't agree with it, but it's the same for them all. The winner won on merit; there's no excuses for us but mine is a good horse."
5lb-claimer Lorcan Williams, rider of Old Guard, the Paul Nicholls-trained runner who won the race in 2015 and finished third last year and filled the same position today, said: "He is brilliant, just a bit older and a bit slower now, he needs a bit further.
"He has run an absolutely phenomenal race - we are giving the winner two stone. It was a brilliant.
"He is a brilliant jumper, so I don't know if more hurdles would have helped him, but I would definitely say two mile and four furlongs as he has absolutely fired up the hill."
Unibet Greatwood Hurdle (Grade 3 Handicap)
£100,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 87y
18 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
| Pos | D | Horse SP | Jockey | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nietzsche 20/1 | Danny McMenamin (7) 10-0 |
B Ellison | 5 | |
| 2nd | nk | Silver Streak (IRE) 12/1 | Adam Wedge 11-5 |
Evan Williams | 5 |
| 3rd | 2¾ | Old Guard 16/1 | Mr L Williams (5) 11-12 |
P F Nicholls | 7 |
| 4th | ½ | Verdana Blue (IRE) (ex5) 9/2f | J McGrath 11-11 |
N J Henderson | 6 |
| 5th | ½ | Western Ryder (IRE) 6/1 | R Johnson 11-5 |
W Greatrex | 6 |
| 6th | 6 | Not That Fuisse (FR) 25/1 | William Marshall (10) 10-0 |
D Skelton | 5 |
| 7th | 2¼ | Mohaayed 25/1 | Bridget Andrews 11-6 |
D Skelton | 6 |
| 8th | ¾ | Nube Negra (SPA) 8/1 | Harry Skelton 10-9 |
D Skelton | 4 |
| 9th | ½ | Storm Rising (IRE) 12/1 | Charlie Hammond (5) 10-11 |
Dr R D P Newland | 5 |
| 10th | hd | Man Of Plenty 33/1 | Sean Houlihan (5) 10-0 |
Mrs S Leech | 9 |
| 11th | 1¼ | Charli Parcs (FR) 11/1 | B J Geraghty 11-5 |
N J Henderson | 5 |
| 12th | 1¾ | Mad Jack Mytton (IRE) 33/1 | Aidan Coleman 10-4 |
Jonjo O'Neill | 8 |
| 13th | ½ | Equus Amadeus (IRE) 25/1 | Stan Sheppard (3) 10-6 |
Tom Lacey | 5 |
| 14th | 3¼ | Midnight Shadow 10/1 | Danny Cook 11-1 |
Mrs S J Smith | 5 |
| 15th | ½ | Vado Forte (FR) 16/1 | R T Dunne 10-3 |
Tom Lacey | 5 |
| 16th | 12 | Caius Marcius (IRE) 33/1 | B S Hughes 11-2 |
N G Richards | 7 |
| NR | Le Patriote (FR) | Non Runner 11-1 |
Dr R D P Newland | 6 | |
| NR | Brianstorm (IRE) | Non Runner 10-6 |
Miss V Williams | 6 | |
| Also Ran: Irish Roe (IRE) , Deyrann de Carjac (FR) | |||||
